The Road Less Traveled
by Verboten Byacolate
Summary: I only like love when I'm falling with you. KenpachixYachiru. With daisies.


_A/N_; If you only like Yachiru and Kenpachi's relationship to be strictly father/daughter, I suggest you click back. Right now. 8D  
_Disclaimer_; Kubo owns it all. He's just that cool.

* * *

_It was a dream. It was a memory. It was a broken record in the back of his mind._

_"I only like love when I'm falling with you."_

_The repetitive melody never bored him._

* * *

Feet obscured his view of the sky. Feet that had grown only about two and a half times bigger than they had been when he'd first seen them, because she had not grown much in thirteen years. Kenpachi swatted the feet away like pesky flies, and returned his arms behind his head.

Now it was pink that interruped his cloud-gazing.

"Ken-chaaan," Yachiru trilled, "why aren't you paying attention to me?"

"Oi, stop being so annoying," he growled, taking the wild daisy from her ear and putting it behind his own. "You're the one that got us lost, so I get to call the shots on our leisure time."

"Aw, Ken-chan took my flower! How mean!" She jumped out of Zaraki's immediate view and into his peripheral vision before she bounded down the grassy hill. He didn't bother to watch her go. She would never be too far. Heck, he could still hear her voice as she attempted a high-pitched, cheery version of a battle song. Her voice box was another part of her that had matured very, very little.

Zaraki Kenpachi closed his eyes against the sun and exhaled. Taking directions from his pink-haired companion was as stupid a move as ever. He should have completely ignored her little "but I'm older now!" and "my sense of direction is better!" and "pleeeeeease, Ken-chan??" bleats and kept on his own path. The road _much_ less traveled.

The man grunted and rolled his head to the side when he heard soft footsteps pounding back up the hill. Humming, Yachiru plopped down beside him. Kenpachi didn't see fit to open his eyes so, somehow, he dozed lightly to the sound of her shrill hum.

* * *

_"Hey, Ken-chan? Guess what?"_

_What?_

_"I killed a man today."_

_Idiot. You're too young for that._

_"That's not true! I'm definitely old enough!"_

_What makes you think so, brat?_

_"Well... if I'm old enough to love, why aren't I old enough to kill?"_

_Love? I didn't know you were interested in that kinda crap._

_"You're right."_

_Eh?_

_"I only like love when I'm falling with you."_

* * *

Maybe, though. Maybe his doze wasn't as light as he'd thought, because small hands jarred him awake some time later. A couple hours, judging by the current length of his fukutaicho's shadow on the swaying grass.

"Yay! Ken-chan's awake!" she grinned. "Do you like the flowers?"

"What are you, a friggin' ninja?" he groused, fingering the daisy wreath she'd managed to fashion around his neck.

"Nope! I'm your vice captain! You're so forgetful, Ken-chan."

He snorted and sat up. Yachiru jumped to a standing position. "Ooh! Are we going now?"

"Yeah. We might as well start heading back. You've got that stupid womens' meeting, right?"

"Yes! 'Giku is bringing us snacks!" she clapped joyfully and jumped. Even in her late teens, the girl was tiny enough to still be able to cling to his shoulder.

"Make sure to nab me some sake," he said, taking off.

"Aw, Ken-chan," she said, and he could practically hear her lower lip sticking out. "Sometimes I wonder if you love sake more than you love me."

_Don't be stupid_. "Why would ya think otherwise?" he asked, grinning widely when she pounded on his shoulder.

"You're so mean!"

_You're tiny and loud an irritating and pink and everything that would normally turn my nerves to sashimi._

"You tease me too much." She pouted and took the daisy that had miraculously stayed behind his ear.

_Still, there's that stupid little thing that makes sure I won't kill you even when I want to._

"But you can't hide it from me!" she cried, a triumphant smile on her face.

"Oh I can't?" he snorted. "And why's that?"

_That stupid little thing that sorta makes me wanna feel your heartbeat instead of crush the organ to a pulp._

Yachiru pressed her lips to the flower before placing it back behind Kenpachi's ear.

"I think you're still nicer to me than anyone." She nodded, resting her cheek against his shoulder. "I think you've got it for me!"

"It?"

"Love, of course!"

_Yeah. That thing._

"If you say so, brat."

-

- fin -


End file.
